The Sun Maid laughed. No amount of fret or labor had ever yet had power to dim the brightness of her nature. Was it the Sun Maid, though? One had to look twice to see. For this tall, slender girl now wore her glorious hair in a braid, and her frock was of coarse blue homespun.
Her feet were bare, and her plump shoulders bowed a little because of the heavy burdens which her “mother Mercy” saw fit to put upon them.
“But I guess I don’t want to put my mind to it. I can’t see anything pretty in ’jacks which are to be eaten right up. Only I like to have them taste right for the folks. That’s all.”
Abel and Gaspar came in, and Kitty placed a plate of steaming cakes before them. Mercy hurried to the big churn outside the door and began to work the dasher up and down as if she hadn’t an ounce of butter in her dairy and must needs prepare this lot for the festival. As she churned she kept up a running fire of directions to the household within, finally suggesting, in a burst of liberality due to the occasion:
“You can fry what flapjacks you want for yourself, Wahneeny. An’ I don’t know as I care if you have a little syrup on ’em to-day—just for once, so to speak.”
However, Wahneenah disdained even the cakes, and the syrup-jug was deposited in its place with undiminished contents.
“Be you all through, then? Well, Kit, fly ’round. Clear the table like lightning, an’ fetch that butter bowl out the spring, an’ see if the salt’s all poun’ an’ sifted; an’ open the draw’s an’ lay out my clothes, an’—Dear me! Does seem ’s if I should lose my senses with so much to do an’ no decent help, only——”
“Hold on, Mercy! What’s the use of rushin’ through life ’s if you was tryin’ to break your neck?”
“Rushin’! With all that’s comin’ here to-day!”
“Well, let ’em come. We’ll be glad to see ’em. Nobody gladder ’n you yourself. But you fair take my breath away with your everlastin’ hurry-skurry, clitter-clatter. Don’t give a man a chance to even kiss his little girl good-mornin’. Do you know that, Sunny Maid? Hain’t said a word to your old Daddy yet!”